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King City
December 12, 2025

Winter storms cause $600M in Monterey County ag losses

MONTEREY COUNTY — This year’s onslaught of winter storms have cumulatively impacted a total of 20,073 acres and created $600 million of damage to the Monterey County agricultural industry.  On Friday, the County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner’s Office released the results of a second survey...

Ag Commissioner’s Office hosts PPE distribution in King City

KING CITY — Dozens of vehicles lined up to receive supplies during a PPE distribution event on Feb. 3, hosted by the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office in King City. More than 60 agricultural companies, including growers, pest control businesses and farm labor contractors,...

Rio Farms, Ag Against Hunger partner to help end hunger

Ag Against Hunger recently partnered with Rio Farms in King City for a produce field gleaning, with dozens of volunteers coming out to help harvest for the hungry.

Monterey County honors last surviving Bracero of 1963 Chualar tragedy

Bracero Isidro Hernandez Tovar
CHUALAR — Monterey County has honored the last surviving Bracero of the 1963 Chualar train tragedy, recognizing his life story and the enduring legacy of Bracero workers during Bracero Worker History Recognition Week. During a special ceremony Sept. 16 at the Monterey County Board of...

King City teacher seeks funds to build school garden

KING CITY — Kacey Hass, a seventh-grade life science teacher at Chalone Peaks Middle School, has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to start a school garden. Hass is also the gardening teacher for both seventh and eighth grades, but the campus currently does...

From Gold Rush to global leader: New book explores California’s agricultural history

California Agriculture
CALIFORNIA — Arcadia Publishing has announced the publication of ā€œCalifornia Agriculture,ā€ a new history of the state’s agriculture industry by author Patti DesMarais. The 128-page paperback is part of Arcadia’s ā€œImages of Americaā€ book series, featuring historical information and photographs. Beginning with the Spanish padres in...

Supreme Court rules against union recruiting on California farms

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a California regulation allowing union organizers to recruit agricultural workers at their workplaces violated the constitutional rights of their employers. The vote was 6-3, with the court’s three liberal members in dissent. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing...

Balestreri named 2023 Miss King City Stampede

KING CITY — Cristina Balestreri, who grew up in the Salinas Valley, has been named the 2023 Miss King City Stampede. Balestreri, daughter of Monterey County natives Mario and Josephine Balestreri, received the title, sash and crown during the third annual King City Stampede, a...

Thousands of farmworkers are prioritized for the coronavirus vaccine

COACHELLA, Calif. — The sun-baked desert valley tucked behind the San Jacinto Mountains is best known for an annual music festival that draws 100,000 fans a day and a series of lush, oasis resort towns where well-heeled snowbirds go to golf, sunbathe and party....

Women in agtech: Jackie Vazquez

Editor’s Note: The following profile is an excerpt from Amy Wu’s upcoming book, ā€œFrom Farms to Incubators: Women Innovators Revolutionizing How Our Food is Grown,ā€ which tells the stories of women entrepreneurs who are transforming agriculture through high technology. Jackie Vazquez spends the majority of...